On Wednesday, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) used a joint video message to accuse Republicans of pushing a dirty trick healthcare plan during the first day of the U.S. government shutdown.
Sanders And AOC Sound Alarm On Premium Hikes
In the video shared on social media, Sanders said Republicans were attacking both him and Ocasio-Cortez for refusing to support what he called a misleading “clean” continuing resolution.
Ocasio-Cortez countered that “there’s nothing clean about it,” warning that millions of Americans will soon see their monthly insurance premiums double. “This is one of the dirtiest tricks that is being pulled on the American people right now.”
“Your monthly insurance premiums are going to double for millions of people across the country,” Ocasio-Cortez said, adding that the increases could leave patients unable to afford life-saving treatments such as chemotherapy or insulin.
Sanders stressed that the consequences go far beyond higher costs. There have been studies at Yale and the University of Pennsylvania that “when you combine doubling premiums for the ACA and then throwing 15 million people off” Medicaid and the ACA, the result is 50,000 low-income.
“Working-class Americans will die every single year,” he said.
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Shutdown Sparks Healthcare Battle
The federal government officially shut down at 12:01 a.m. Wednesday, after the Senate failed to approve proposals from both Democrats and Republicans on Tuesday.
Neither proposal reached the 60-vote threshold required for passage.
The Democratic plan, which aimed to reinstate $1 trillion in Medicaid cuts approved earlier this summer alongside a permanent extension of expiring Obamacare subsidies, was rejected along party lines, losing 47-53, as per ABC News.
House Republicans approved a temporary funding bill to keep the government running until Nov. 21, but the measure previously stalled in the Senate earlier this month.
On Wednesday, the first day of the government shutdown, the Senate again fell short of approving funding bills, as congressional leaders continued to shift blame for the stalemate.
Negotiations seem to be in progress, with the Senate’s next chance to vote on government funding set for Friday.
Hundreds of thousands of federal workers face furloughs or delayed pay, while essential services such as border security and air traffic control remain in place.
Democrats Vow To Resist Cuts
Ocasio-Cortez said Republicans wanted Democrats to “rubber stamp” a plan that would harm families across the country.
Sanders echoed that message, calling the U.S. “the only major country on Earth not to guarantee healthcare to all people” and accusing Republicans of making a broken system even worse.
“We’re not going to let that happen,” he said.
Public Opinion On Shutdown
Polls suggest Republicans could face political fallout. A Morning Consult survey found 45% of voters blame Republicans in Congress for the shutdown, compared with 32% who blame Democrats.
Economist Justin Wolfers said the shutdown has little economic impact but called it a costly and pointless political spectacle.
Mohamed El-Erian noted that past shutdowns were usually short due to voter unpopularity, but he is concerned this one could escalate politically because of promised mass firings, dubbed “DOGE 2.0.”
Former Director of the National Economic Council, Larry Kudlow, suggested that a “silver lining” of the “Democrat-caused government shutdown” could be mass federal layoffs.
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Disclaimer: This content was partially produced with the help of AI tools and was reviewed and published by Benzinga editors.
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